Part 5. Chapter 7.

Vronsky and Anna had been traveling for three months together in Europe. They had visited Venice, Rome, and Naples, and had just arrived at a small Italian town where they meant to stay some time. A handsome head waiter, with thick pomaded hair parted from the neck upwards, an evening coat, a broad white cambric shirt front, and a bunch of trinkets hanging above his rounded stomach, stood with his hands in the full curve of his pockets, looking contemptuously from under his eyelids while he gave some frigid reply to a gentleman who had stopped him. Un beau serveur en chef, avec d'épais cheveux pommadés séparés du cou vers le haut, un manteau du soir, une large chemise en cambrique blanche sur le devant, et un tas de bibelots suspendus au-dessus de son ventre arrondi, se tenait les mains dans la pleine courbe de ses poches, regardant avec mépris sous ses paupières pendant qu'il donnait une réponse glaciale à un monsieur qui l'avait arrêté. Catching the sound of footsteps coming from the other side of the entry towards the staircase, the head waiter turned round, and seeing the Russian count, who had taken their best rooms, he took his hands out of his pockets deferentially, and with a bow informed him that a courier had been, and that the business about the palazzo had been arranged. Surprenant le bruit des pas venant de l'autre côté de l'entrée vers l'escalier, le maître d'hôtel se retourna, et voyant le comte russe, qui avait pris leurs meilleures chambres, il sortit ses mains de ses poches avec déférence, et avec un salut. l'a informé qu'un courrier avait été, et que les affaires concernant le palais avaient été arrangées. The steward was prepared to sign the agreement. Le délégué était prêt à signer l'accord.

"Ah! I'm glad to hear it," said Vronsky. "Is madame at home or not?" "Madame has been out for a walk but has returned now," answered the waiter. Vronsky took off his soft, wide-brimmed hat and passed his handkerchief over his heated brow and hair, which had grown half over his ears, and was brushed back covering the bald patch on his head. Vronsky ôta son doux chapeau à larges bords et passa son mouchoir sur son front et ses cheveux chauffés, qui avaient poussé à moitié sur ses oreilles, et fut brossé en arrière couvrant la tache chauve sur sa tête. And glancing casually at the gentleman, who still stood there gazing intently at him, he would have gone on. Et jetant un regard nonchalant au monsieur, qui se tenait toujours là à le regarder attentivement, il aurait continué.

"This gentleman is a Russian, and was inquiring after you," said the head waiter. With mingled feelings of annoyance at never being able to get away from acquaintances anywhere, and longing to find some sort of diversion from the monotony of his life, Vronsky looked once more at the gentleman, who had retreated and stood still again, and at the same moment a light came into the eyes of both. Avec des sentiments mêlés d'agacement de ne jamais pouvoir s'éloigner de connaissances nulle part, et désireux de trouver une sorte de diversion de la monotonie de sa vie, Vronsky regarda une fois de plus le monsieur, qui s'était retiré et s'était arrêté de nouveau, et à la au même moment une lumière est venue dans les yeux des deux.

"Golenishtchev!" "Vronsky!" It really was Golenishtchev, a comrade of Vronsky's in the Corps of Pages. In the corps Golenishtchev had belonged to the liberal party; he left the corps without entering the army, and had never taken office under the government. Vronsky and he had gone completely different ways on leaving the corps, and had only met once since.

At that meeting Vronsky perceived that Golenishtchev had taken up a sort of lofty, intellectually liberal line, and was consequently disposed to look down upon Vronsky's interests and calling in life. Lors de cette réunion, Vronsky a perçu que Golenishtchev avait adopté une sorte de ligne noble, intellectuellement libérale, et était par conséquent disposé à mépriser les intérêts et la vocation de Vronsky dans la vie. Hence Vronsky had met him with the chilling and haughty manner he so well knew how to assume, the meaning of which was: "You may like or dislike my way of life, that's a matter of the most perfect indifference to me; you will have to treat me with respect if you want to know me." Vronsky l'avait donc rencontré avec la manière glaçante et hautaine qu'il savait si bien assumer, dont le sens était: «Vous pouvez aimer ou ne pas aimer mon mode de vie, c'est pour moi une question de la plus parfaite indifférence; vous aurez de me traiter avec respect si vous voulez me connaître. " Golenishtchev had been contemptuously indifferent to the tone taken by Vronsky. This second meeting might have been expected, one would have supposed, to estrange them still more. On aurait pu s'attendre à ce que cette seconde rencontre, on aurait supposé, les éloigne encore davantage. But now they beamed and exclaimed with delight on recognizing one another. Vronsky would never have expected to be so pleased to see Golenishtchev, but probably he was not himself aware how bored he was. He forgot the disagreeable impression of their last meeting, and with a face of frank delight held out his hand to his old comrade. The same expression of delight replaced the look of uneasiness on Golenishtchev's face. "How glad I am to meet you!" said Vronsky, showing his strong white teeth in a friendly smile.

"I heard the name Vronsky, but I didn't know which one. I'm very, very glad!" "Let's go in. Come, tell me what you're doing." "I've been living here for two years. I'm working." "Ah!" said Vronsky, with sympathy; "let's go in." And with the habit common with Russians, instead of saying in Russian what he wanted to keep from the servants, he began to speak in French.

"Do you know Madame Karenina? We are traveling together. I am going to see her now," he said in French, carefully scrutinizing Golenishtchev's face. "Ah! I did not know" (though he did know), Golenishtchev answered carelessly. "Have you been here long?" he added.

"Four days," Vronsky answered, once more scrutinizing his friend's face intently. "Yes, he's a decent fellow, and will look at the thing properly," Vronsky said to himself, catching the significance of Golenishtchev's face and the change of subject. "I can introduce him to Anna, he looks at it properly." "Je peux le présenter à Anna, il le regarde correctement." During those three months that Vronsky had spent abroad with Anna, he had always on meeting new people asked himself how the new person would look at his relations with Anna, and for the most part, in men, he had met with the "proper" way of looking at it. But if he had been asked, and those who looked at it "properly" had been asked, exactly how they did look at it, both he and they would have been greatly puzzled to answer. Mais si on lui avait demandé, et si on lui avait demandé à ceux qui l'ont regardé "correctement", comment ils le regardaient exactement, lui et eux auraient été très étonnés de répondre. In reality, those who in Vronsky's opinion had the "proper" view had no sort of view at all, but behaved in general as well-bred persons do behave in regard to all the complex and insoluble problems with which life is encompassed on all sides; they behaved with propriety, avoiding allusions and unpleasant questions. They assumed an air of fully comprehending the import and force of the situation, of accepting and even approving of it, but of considering it superfluous and uncalled for to put all this into words. Ils ont pris l'air de comprendre pleinement la portée et la force de la situation, de l'accepter et même de l'approuver, mais de la considérer comme superflue et déplacée de mettre tout cela en mots.

Vronsky at once divined that Golenishtchev was of this class, and therefore was doubly pleased to see him. And in fact, Golenishtchev's manner to Madame Karenina, when he was taken to call on her, was all that Vronsky could have desired. Obviously without the slightest effort he steered clear of all subjects which might lead to embarrassment. Évidemment, sans le moindre effort, il évitait tout sujet qui pouvait conduire à l'embarras.

He had never met Anna before, and was struck by her beauty, and still more by the frankness with which she accepted her position. She blushed when Vronsky brought in Golenishtchev, and he was extremely charmed by this childish blush overspreading her candid and handsome face. But what he liked particularly was the way in which at once, as though on purpose that there might be no misunderstanding with an outsider, she called Vronsky simply Alexey, and said they were moving into a house they had just taken, what was here called a palazzo. Golenishtchev liked this direct and simple attitude to her own position. Looking at Anna's manner of simple-hearted, spirited gaiety, and knowing Alexey Alexandrovitch and Vronsky, Golenishtchev fancied that he understood her perfectly. En regardant la manière d'Anna de gaieté simple et animée, et connaissant Alexey Alexandrovitch et Vronsky, Golenishtchev pensa qu'il la comprenait parfaitement. He fancied that he understood what she was utterly unable to understand: how it was that, having made her husband wretched, having abandoned him and her son and lost her good name, she yet felt full of spirits, gaiety, and happiness. Il croyait comprendre ce qu'elle était absolument incapable de comprendre: comment c'était que, ayant rendu son mari misérable, ayant abandonné lui et son fils et perdu son nom, elle se sentait pourtant pleine d'esprit, de gaieté et de bonheur.

"It's in the guide-book," said Golenishtchev, referring to the palazzo Vronsky had taken. «C'est dans le guide», dit Golenishtchev, se référant au palais que Vronsky avait pris. "There's a first-rate Tintoretto there. «Il y a un Tintoret de premier ordre là-bas. One of his latest period." "I tell you what: it's a lovely day, let's go and have another look at it," said Vronsky, addressing Anna. "I shall be very glad to; I'll go and put on my hat. Would you say it's hot?" she said, stopping short in the doorway and looking inquiringly at Vronsky. And again a vivid flush overspread her face. Et de nouveau une couleur vive envahit son visage.

Vronsky saw from her eyes that she did not know on what terms he cared to be with Golenishtchev, and so was afraid of not behaving as he would wish.

He looked a long, tender look at her.

"No, not very," he said. And it seemed to her that she understood everything, most of all, that he was pleased with her; and smiling to him, she walked with her rapid step out at the door.

The friends glanced at one another, and a look of hesitation came into both faces, as though Golenishtchev, unmistakably admiring her, would have liked to say something about her, and could not find the right thing to say, while Vronsky desired and dreaded his doing so.

"Well then," Vronsky began to start a conversation of some sort; "so you're settled here? "Eh bien," Vronsky commença à entamer une sorte de conversation; "alors vous êtes installé ici? You're still at the same work, then?" he went on, recalling that he had been told Golenishtchev was writing something.

"Yes, I'm writing the second part of the Two Elements ," said Golenishtchev, coloring with pleasure at the question—"that is, to be exact, I am not writing it yet; I am preparing, collecting materials. It will be of far wider scope, and will touch on almost all questions. Il aura une portée beaucoup plus large et abordera presque toutes les questions. We in Russia refuse to see that we are the heirs of Byzantium," and he launched into a long and heated explanation of his views. En Russie, nous refusons de voir que nous sommes les héritiers de Byzance », et il s'est lancé dans une longue et passionnée explication de ses vues. Vronsky at the first moment felt embarrassed at not even knowing of the first part of the Two Elements , of which the author spoke as something well known. But as Golenishtchev began to lay down his opinions and Vronsky was able to follow them even without knowing the Two Elements , he listened to him with some interest, for Golenishtchev spoke well. But Vronsky was startled and annoyed by the nervous irascibility with which Golenishtchev talked of the subject that engrossed him. As he went on talking, his eyes glittered more and more angrily; he was more and more hurried in his replies to imaginary opponents, and his face grew more and more excited and worried. Remembering Golenishtchev, a thin, lively, good-natured and well-bred boy, always at the head of the class, Vronsky could not make out the reason of his irritability, and he did not like it. What he particularly disliked was that Golenishtchev, a man belonging to a good set, should put himself on a level with some scribbling fellows, with whom he was irritated and angry. Ce qu'il n'aimait pas particulièrement, c'était que Golenishtchev, un homme appartenant à un bon groupe, se mette au niveau de certains gribouilleurs avec lesquels il était irrité et en colère. Was it worth it? Est-ce que ça valait le coup? Vronsky disliked it, yet he felt that Golenishtchev was unhappy, and was sorry for him. Unhappiness, almost mental derangement, was visible on his mobile, rather handsome face, while without even noticing Anna's coming in, he went on hurriedly and hotly expressing his views. When Anna came in in her hat and cape, and her lovely hand rapidly swinging her parasol, and stood beside him, it was with a feeling of relief that Vronsky broke away from the plaintive eyes of Golenishtchev which fastened persistently upon him, and with a fresh rush of love looked at his charming companion, full of life and happiness. Quand Anna entra dans son chapeau et sa cape, et sa belle main balançant rapidement son ombrelle, et se tint à côté de lui, ce fut avec un sentiment de soulagement que Vronsky se détacha des yeux plaintifs de Golenishtchev qui s'attachaient avec persistance à lui, et avec un une nouvelle vague d'amour regarda son charmant compagnon, plein de vie et de bonheur. Golenishtchev recovered himself with an effort, and at first was dejected and gloomy, but Anna, disposed to feel friendly with everyone as she was at that time, soon revived his spirits by her direct and lively manner. Golenishtchev se reprit avec effort, et fut d'abord abattu et sombre, mais Anna, disposée à se sentir amicale avec tout le monde comme elle l'était à l'époque, raviva bientôt ses esprits par sa manière directe et vive. After trying various subjects of conversation, she got him upon painting, of which he talked very well, and she listened to him attentively. They walked to the house they had taken, and looked over it.

"I am very glad of one thing," said Anna to Golenishtchev when they were on their way back, "Alexey will have a capital atelier . "Je suis très heureux d'une chose", a déclaré Anna à Golenishtchev quand ils étaient sur le chemin du retour, "Alexey aura un atelier capital. „Aš labai džiaugiuosi vienu dalyku, - sakė Anna Golenishtchevui, kai jie grįžo, - Aleksejus turės kapitalinę ateljė. You must certainly take that room," she said to Vronsky in Russian, using the affectionately familiar form as though she saw that Golenishtchev would become intimate with them in their isolation, and that there was no need of reserve before him. "Do you paint?" said Golenishtchev, turning round quickly to Vronsky.

"Yes, I used to study long ago, and now I have begun to do a little," said Vronsky, reddening. "He has great talent," said Anna with a delighted smile. "I'm no judge, of course. But good judges have said the same."